App Check: SignMyPad [non-legal][PDF annotation]

A few times each month I highlight web or mobile apps that are useful to lawyers. Sometimes the apps are developed specifically for lawyers and other times they are non-legal apps but are nevertheless useful for lawyers.

Today’s app is SignMyPad. I’ve been using this app on my iPad ever since it was first released when the company contacted me and provided me with a complimentary access to the app. This is a great app for lawyers, since it allows you and your clients to sign PDFs right on your iPad, Nook, or Android device.

To use the app, first you upload a PDF document to your device via SignMyApp. You can then review the PDF and annotate it. The app allows you to insert any number of elements into the PDF.

First, you can add typed text. You have a choice of 48 different fonts and once you’ve inserted the text, you can move it to another location in the document or re-size it if need be.

You can also insert a signature. You can “sign” the document using either your finger or a stylus and once you have done so, just as with typed text, you can move it to another location or re-size the signature.

Finally, you have the option of inserting a check box (an “X”) or a radio button, which looks like a bullet point, both of which can be moved or re-sized.

Once you have finished annotating your document, you can export the saved document from SignMyPad by emailing it or saving it onto a compatible app on your device, such as iBooks. Another nice feature is that SignMyPad integrates with DropBox, so once you have saved your final document, you can upload it to DropBox and store it in the cloud, so it will be instantly accessibly no matter where you are.

And, at just $3.99, it’s a real bargain. You can download the iPad app here, the Nook app here, and the Android app here.

Nicole Black is an attorney and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase. Her legal career spans nearly two decades and she has extensive litigation experience. She was named an inaugural ABA Legal Rebel in 2009 and an inaugural Fastcase 50 in 2011. She is also a well known legal technology author, journalist, and speaker. She wrote "Computing for Lawyers" (2012) and co-authored "Social Media: The Next Frontier" (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors "Criminal Law in New York," a Thomson West treatise. She often speaks at conferences about the intersection of law, mobile computing and Internet-based technology. She can be reached at niki@mycase.com.